ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2022: England vs Australia – Match 26 Preview and Updates

Cricket

What kind of cricket fan would miss a clash of titans match between Australia and England? Although it isn’t quite The Ashes, seeing these two squads face off in such an important match is must-see entertainment.

Both teams are desperate for a win to stay in the top two of Group 1, so this upcoming match is clearly a knockout win. Each team has one win and one loss, with England suffering an upset at the hands of Ireland. Australia bounced back from their loss in New Zealand with a convincing win over Sri Lanka.

The Super 12 Group 1, 26th Match between England vs Australia will take place on October 28th, 2022 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne.

Match Details to Note

Match: England vs Australia, 26th Match, Super 12 Group 1, ICC Mens T20 World Cup 2022

Date: October 28, 2022 (Friday)

Time: 1:30 PM IST

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

England vs Australia

England (Match Odds – 2.00):

Preview:

England dominated Afghanistan, but where did they go wrong in their loss to Ireland? Cricket and Ireland aren’t normally associated, but this small country was talented enough to defeat England.

Having said that, the rain made for a sloppy game. Due to the heavy downpours, the match was shortened and eventually called off, denying England a victory when it was within reach. Still, you can’t entirely blame the rain because England gave up far too many runs due to poor bowling.

Chris Woakes bowled 0/41 in three overs, earning a shocking Economy Rate of 13.67. Mark Wood had a decent 3/34, but Adil Rashid was repeatedly knocked around the ground with 0/24. Even with the limited overs, it was disappointing to see Jos Buttler dismissed for a duck, especially given his talent.

Ben Stokes’ eight runs and Harry Brook’s 18 runs fell far short of their averages. Surprises are inevitable in a T20 tournament, but England cannot lose to Ireland and expect to win against a tough team like Australia. This appears to be the end of England’s World Cup campaign.

Full Squad:

Jos Buttler(w/c), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Philip Salt, Tymal Mills, David Willey, Chris Jordan

Players to watch out for:

Jos Buttler

The captain started the tournament with an 18 against Afghanistan and a duck against Ireland. He has been in superb form throughout 2022, and we expect him to deliver in this match.

Dawid Malan

England’s left-handed number three batter has top-scored in three of their last five Twenty20 Internationals. In this format, he has a best score of 103.

Mark Wood

As one of the quickest bowlers in the T20 World Cup 2022, he has a distinct advantage that results in regular wickets. In two T20 World Cup games this year, he has taken 2-23 and 3-34.

Possible Playing XI:

Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Australia (Match Odds – 1.80):

Preview:

Australia’s loss to New Zealand in the first game of the T20 World Cup came as quite a surprise. Both the batters and the bowlers got off to slow starts, and Oz couldn’t keep it together in the end.

However, the win over Sri Lanka demonstrated that Oz still has strength in his squad and is deserving of another championship. At first glance, Sri Lanka’s total of 157 did not appear difficult to chase, but after quick wickets of David Warner for 12 runs and Mitchell Marsh for 18, the Aussies were probably sweating with fear.

Captain Aaron Finch kept things consistent with his 31* from 42 deliveries (0 fours and only 1 six, which was unusual), but Marcus Stoinis deserves the Hero Of The Day award. Picking up 59 from only 18 balls is no easy feat, especially given how tight the last five overs were. Stoinis finished with four fours and six sixes!

Even the Australians will admit that no one bowled particularly well, but they did enough to keep the Sri Lankan total under 200. Pat Cummins was costly at 1/36 (ER: 9.00), as was Mitchell Marsh’s single over at 0/14. Spinner Adam Zampa was ruled out of the game after testing positive for COVID-19, and his replacement, Ashton Agar, bowled well with 1/25.

However, Zampa is expected to return to the lineup and be fit for the England game. Even though Steve Smith is in the squad of 15, it’s still unusual to see him left out of the starting XI. His experience and leadership would have been valuable in this tournament, but the Australian selectors appear to be favoring youth like Marsh and Tim David.

With such a strong squad, Australia is more than capable of defeating England, but the victory will be determined by the skills of the players on the day.

Full Squad:

David Warner, Aaron Finch(c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w), Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Kane Richardson, Adam Zampa, Cameron Green, Steven Smith

Players to watch out for:

David Warner

Since making his debut in this format in January 2009, the left-handed opener has scored 2866 runs. In his last five matches against England, he has two half-centuries.

Marcus Stoinis

Australia’s batting all-rounder scored a game-winning innings against Sri Lanka. He hit 59 balls without being struck out.

Mitchell Starc

The left-arm pace bowler bowled Bhanuka Rajapaksa out on Tuesday and has a format best of 4-20.

Possible Playing XI:

David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood

England vs Australia Top Team Batsmen

We believe Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, and Alex Hales are the best batting options for England. Hales hit 84 in the first T20I match between these two teams earlier this month.

Australia’s batsmen are David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, and Marcus Stoinis. On Tuesday, Stoinis hit the joint second-fastest T20 World Cup fifty against Sri Lanka.

England vs Australia Top Team Bowlers

We believe Jos Buttler, Dawid Malan, and Alex Hales are the best batting options for England. Hales hit 84 in the first T20I match between these two teams earlier this month.

For Australia, we recommend Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Adam Zampa. In this format, Hazlewood averages 20.07 wickets per game.

England vs Australia Head to Head

England leads Australia in T20Is by one match overall, and they have a very strong recent record. In the last seven meetings in this format, Australia has won one.

England vs Australia Head to Head Stats in T20s

	Matches Played	ENG Won	AUS Won	Tie	NR
Overall	23	11	10	0	2
Last 5	5	4	1	0	0

England vs Australia Toss Prediction

On this ground, chasing is the way to go. Though neither team will have an easy outing, whether they bat first or bowl first, teams chasing a target have a slight advantage. Ten of the 15 T20Is played at this venue have been won by teams batting second.

England vs Australia Pitch Report

The MCG is one of Australia’s most popular cricket grounds. From 15 T20Is, the average first innings total at this venue is 142. Given the stats and the weather forecast for the game, this is likely to be a low-scoring affair between these two teams.

Earlier in the World Cup, India and Pakistan battled it out on the MCG pitch. The previous match played here between England and Ireland had a similar outcome, with things getting close just before the rain intervened.

This pitch has good bounce and carry, and the pacers can find movement with the new ball. On match day, rain is expected, with a high of 13 degrees Celsius. Rain is very likely to affect the playing conditions because this is the second match at the MCG on the same day.

England vs Australia Prediction

England does have an advantage over Australia, having defeated them 2-1 in a recent best-of-three ODI series. The T20 World Cup, on the other hand, is a completely different beast, and it’s easy to forget the past when the format is so drastically different. Australia is fighting for a spot in the tournament’s next round, but its pride is on the line after hosting the T20 World Cup. You can’t possibly lose on your own turf like this? Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

Australia is the favourite to beat England at the odds of 1.80.